Will of a Hero
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: The shinobi world has become decadent. Fallen into decay, after years of war mongering and false peace. Enemies plot war and destruction abound, uncaring for the innocents trampled underfoot. Someone must take up arms. Someone must fight. But what will it take to save the world? The will of a hero? Or that of a villian? NarutoxHarem. Romance, adventure, Fable Crossover!
1. Fated Meeting

**A/N: Well folks, I've got good news and bads news. The good news is, I'm still alive. The bad news is, I need surgery. My pacemaker isn't functionin as it should. Its malfunctioning as of late, and, to be frank, its freaking me out. I've been putting off surgery because of bills, but my health has deteriorated too much to ignore. Not quite sure when I'll be going in, or under for that matter, but I'm afraid I might not make it. I've suffered several surgeries on this blasted thing since I first got it at seven years, and while the pains are only minor, it's been bothering me on the job as of late and leaving it alone is a risk I'm not willing to take for much longer. And yet, in spite of my own fear, last night I decided to write something; something a little-lighthearted, something I'm certain you'd all enjoy in my absentia, if it comes to that.**

**Now, that being said, I proudly present you with my latest creation...**

**...Will of a Hero!**

_"Willpower is the very essence of a hero. The skill to do the impossible...and the strenth to carry them out."_

_~?_

**Fated Meeting**

Konohagakure. Otherwise known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A prosperous peaceful village, bustling with rich, vibrant life, surrounded by layer upon layer of impenetrable forest, backed against a mountain. For centuries, these natural defenses have kept her enemies at bay; prevented countless intruders-and assassins-from intruding upon its solace. Thirteen years after the Third Great Shinobi War and attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, however, it had entered an unsettling time of chaos and confusion. There were no attacks upon its inhabitant; no assasinations, no kidnappings-save the stymied scheme by Kumogakure-not even a declaration of war. Because this threat came not from without, but within.

Its name was Uzumaki Naruto. Born on the day of the Kyuubi's attack, most, in their ignorance, considered him the fox re-incarnated. Nothing could've been further from to the truth. He was not the demon reborn, but rather, its jailor. Unbeknownst to him, he was responsible for saving the village from its greatest threat, and yet, he was punished everyday for it. Forced to wear what little clothes he could afford, garbed in a hideously bright blue-orange jumpsuit; contenting himself to a daily diet of ramen with few friends and little shelter, most would've gone mad.

He went by many names behind his back: _Dead last. Dobe. Loser. Worthless. Orphan_. Many insults were given him but one, stood amongst the rest. _**Demon brat**._ Though forbidden from harming him outright forbidden to spread their hatred to their childrent, the villagers took great pleasure in bestowing these titles upon what they assumed to be bane of Konoha's existence; the reason they'd lost the Yondaime to the Shinigami, all of those years ago. Their opinion would've changed drastically, had they known their great leader used his own son to seal the beast! But the knowledge remained known to only a scant few and those few had no intent to share their knowledge.

Against all odds he hadn't lost himself. Hadn't turned to hatred. Rather, he'd concocted an usual form of revenge. He'd taken to pranking everyone in the village! From the lowliest villager to the highest ranking shinobi, he'd wrought his unusal wrath upon them in the most comedic of fashions over the years. Nor was the Sandaime immune to his craft. Some said the boy had developed a technique so powerful it caused the old man to keel over merely by witnessing it. The reason for the extreme blood loss from his nostrils remained unknown. But today the prankster had done too much.

Today he'd gone too far...

* * *

"COME BACK HERE BOY!"

As ever, the silence of the village was shattered by plight of this rather recalcitrant individual. Half the village's Anbu were hot in pursuit, and more joined the chase with each and every minute. The culprit was not even remotely concerned. He'd outrun them many times before and he'd do so again. Or so he thought. Unfortunately, he'd failed to account for the gravity of his actions, this time. There would be no easy escape, not with a horde of Anbu and Jonin hot on his heels. The harder he ran, the more they gained; the more stalls and vendors he upturned to impete their path, the more that joined the chase.

"You little brat!" One of the villagers roared uselessly at his back as he mourned over the ruined remnants of his business. "I'll flay you alive!"

"You'll have to catch me first, slowpoke!" The boy simultaneously flung an insult over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue. Ha! Fool! As if they could catch _him!_ Only Iruka-sensei stood capable of such a feat and knew where he liked to hide. As it was, he didn't sense his teacher amongst them. Lucky him! He may not be a genin_-yet!-_but he could still outpace most Anbu through sheer stamina alone. Most, but not all. This bunch were very determined. They'd yet to start flinging shuriken or kunai at him, but

"Just give up and we'll go easy on you!" One of the shinobi cajoled as the genin-to-be flung himself around a corner.

_"Not on your lives!"_ Uzumaki Naruto thought to himself as he fled, clearing buildings with speed surprising for mere thirteen year old youth. He was liable to get more than a stern word if they caught him this time! Why you ask? Because he, Uzumaki Naruto, greatest prankster in all of Konoha _if not the world,_ had done the unthinkable. Completed the impossible. He'd just finished _defacing_ the four faces. Scribbled on them across their stoney faces as though they were naught, but a canvas, and he, their artist. There was a certain poetic justice to be found there somewhere, but it was lost on him in his haste to escape his pursuers. There! He grinned as he spied an abandoned alley, veering sharply to his left. Perfect!

He threw himself inside and crouched behind some garbabe. And not a moment too soon; because the enraged mob pounded around the corner seconds later practically _baying_ for his blood. Not that he could blame the lot; he _had_ defaced the four faces after all.

Scrabbling to his feet, he paused for breath in the alleway.

"Hoo...boy...that was close!"

Naruto gasped roughly, his body doubling over as he gripped his knees. His lungs were on fire. He was having trouble holding his balance. He struggled to stand up straight, to watch as the last stragglers of the roaring mob vanished from sight. His chest gradually began to slow its heaving, his heart no longer threatening to burst from his torso. A small smile spread across his face as he reveled in his simple yet small victory. He must have bought himself some time; he didn't hear the villagers anymore. but he daren't stay here for long. He gave a small chortle to himself and began to dust off his grimy jumpsuit.

He daren't head home. Not now; that'd be the first place they'd come look for him! Where to go, then? Where could he possibly hide where no one would think to find him? After much thought_-very little actually-_Naruto started running again, hooking toward the south of the village, rather than the north. It wasn't long at all before the mob caught up with him again, pounding after him despite his best efforts to escape. Naruto knew in his heart that their anger was justified; but so too was his need for attention. _Maybe if they started treating me with some respect I wouldn't have defaced the faces!_ In any other setting he might've laughed at the pun. As it were, he was far too busy

_"Turn right at the next alley, young one."_

Naruto nearly stopped short, but that would've meant certain peril. Just now, had that been a voice in his head? Sure enough he saw the alley on his right a slim slit barely large enough for a child, let alone a full grown adult. He felt the first of many hands snatch at his jacket; he hurtled forward even as the beloved fabric was torn from his shoulders, exposing the black tee beneath. For a moment he thought that was it. The end. _This is what I get for pranking them so many times...serves me right..._

A low growl tore through his ears; it was a deep, throaty sound, that had no business coming from a human throat. He felt hot breath on his neck and abruptly the one who held him fell away, screaming and blubbering about a mongrel at their arm. A dog? Naruto lurched upright, momentarily rooted in place by what he saw. There was a dog_-a dog?!-_its teeth locked firmly around the wrist of the nameless villager who'd tried to rip him to pieces with their bare hands. Even the angry mob stood aghast, taken aback by the sheer ferocity of the creature. It was a large animal with thick black fur, though by its emaciated state, it'd clearly seen better days than this. Even as he looked on the canine tore its teeth free from the villager's arm, leaving the man to scramble backwards to the safety of his fellows.

One of them dared to edge forward.

The dog barred its hackles and growled a warning.

Naruto balked at them for a moment, warring between fight or flight. Eventually the latter won out. His sandals kicked against the ground, each step jarring pain through his aching arm and legs. _Can't stop! Musn't stop no musn't stop! _He bounded forward and away toward the alley, silently praying that the dog wouldn't suffer a sad fate. A thorn of Hesitation pricked at his heart, threatening to hold him back as he surged forward. The men and women behind him were not pursuing, though they were hurling countless obscenities at him. For a moment, a mere moment, he contemplated apologizing. Surely, the mob couldn't be that angry. It wasn't as though the Hokage would let them harm him...right?

_"Now! _" the voice prodded, goading him through his hesitation,_ "Jump!"_

Naruto didn't pay the voice anymore heed; he merely flung himself in its direction and into the alley; shooting through the slim space between the buildings like an arrow loosed from a bow. It was a mistake. He barely cleared the gap, and when he did, there was someone there. Waiting for him.

Naruto nearly barreled right into her; because even at this speed, the figure was certainly a _she._ And he was about to crash into her! As it were, he barely managed to twist himself aside at the last instant, scuffing his knees on the unforgiving ground, nearly cracking his head open against a mudbrick wall. Momentum sent him tumbling, flipping head over heels as his body throbbed in indignant protest. He crashed into a pile of trash, the cans clanging harshly against one another as his head knocked violently against them.

"Ouch!" He groaned, flopping onto his back

Someone offered a hand; he gladly accepted it. It was not until they'd hoisted him to his feet that he saw his rescuer.

She was emphatically female, garbed as she was beneath those red and white robes. Her attire was indeed strange but he gave it little thought. He needed to run! He hazarded a glance over his shoulder, half-expecting to find the mob of righteously angry villagers bearing down on him ready to tear him limb from limb. Imagine his surprise when he found that they were nowhere to be found. There was only silence on the other siide of the opening. Strange, they'd been there only a moment ago. Where had they gone?

"Are you alright?" The woman asked.

Naruto managed a nod.

"Yeah, I think...

He winced as his ankle gave an indignant spasm. He must've sprained it during his self-inflicted fall. His foot was already starting to swell, the first tinges of pain shooting up through his damaged limb.

"Alright, maybe not."

"Don't move." The woman raised a hand. Naruto reluctantly complied, squirming as she laid her fingers to rest upon the aching ankle. A green flow fled from her fingertips, suffusing him with warmth and strength. Like nothing he'd ever felt before, yet also eerily familiar. He forced himself to stay still and silent, resisting his natural urge to speak up when he was annoyed. This woman had guided him to safety once already. He had no reason not to trust her again.

Within a handful of heartbeats the swelling had died down. Two beats later and the pain had all but vanished. Four beats and it was as though he'd never been injured to begin with. The woman took her hand away, the last of the eerie verdant aura leaving her fingertips and trickling between them.

"There you are." She indicated his ankle. "You should be able to move without pain."

"Eh?!" Naruto exclaimed aghast, surprised by his now healed limb. "How did you do that, baa-chan?!" He leapt to his feet, amazed to find that he could now support himself with both legs. The woman chuckled softly; it was like musical chimes, lilting in his ear and lifting his soul

"I'd rather you call me by my name."

"Oh." Naruto blinked, flustered. "But I don't know your name...

"You may call me Theresa."

"Well...thanks a lot Theresa-baa-chan...

He turned to give thanks to this strange woman, but her eyes held him. They were pale blue, almost white, which reminded him of another young girl in his class_-Hinata Hyuuga he thought her name was-_only her eyes were milky not the violet hued white which he knew. _She's blind._ He realized, idly wondering how he knew this. Come to think of it, he'd always been this way: seeing things, sensing, knowing things, to which he at the time should not have been privy. Peculiar things; be it sensing things like Iruka-sensei's location as he'd done earlier this afternoon, to those eerie dreams at night..._now_ he instinctively knew that this woman was blind and yet-

"Do my eyes interest you child?" She said in a kind voice, looking at Naruto with a small smile. Naruto blushed at being caught staring but he was surprised! How could she tell he was staring at her in the first place?! A look of consternation crossed his face.

"Erm...you can see me?"

Despite her blindness, the woman looked straight at him. _Through him. _It felt as though she were staring into the very depths of his soul. She must've she like what she found there; because she smiled. Naruto flushed anew; he wasn't used to anyone staring at him in such a manner, least of all without shouting and throwing things at him.

"I have been able to see many things since I lost my sight." She supplied cryptically. "Least of all your perplexed expression, Naruto." Her words left him even more perplexed!

"How do you know my name?"

The seer smiled softly.

"You've been shouting it all over town as of late, haven't you?" Her words were not meant to be mean; she merely stated a fact as she lowered herself onto a nearby crate. "None of that matters. I've come here so that you might know what fate holds in store for you." As if sensing his thoughts her own smile strengthened. "I suppose you could call it fortune-telling. Would you be interested, by any chance?" She dipped a hand into the bag at her waist in silent supplication.

"I already know my future." Naruto argued. "I'm gonna become the hokage someday!" But he was curious, and offered no further objection. Seeing, Theresa removed a number of cards from her purse, ten in all, laying each down in the face-down position. "Then everyone will finally learn to respect me!"

"So you claim." The seer's tone left no room for arguement as she spread the cards out before him. "Let us see if this holds true." Without further adue she raised the first and flipped it over. Naruto blinked, in surprise, and disbelief. Revealed to him was the likeliness of a heart, and before it, two figures, holding hands. In flowing script, it read:

_"The Lovers."_ Theresa arched an eyebrow, though whether for his sake or her own remained unseen. "Interesting. I sense you will come to know a great love in the near future. Perhaps many. They will forever change you, and I believe in more ways than one. The card is unclear as to the how and when." She laid it down. "Now, let us see the next." Theresa chose the second swiftly, revealing it to the young container before he could think to interrupt. Exposed, a new image stared back at him. A giant crimson fox, its muzzle raised towards the moon, teeth bared in silent adulation. It was the nine-tails.

**Kyuubi.**

_"Strength."_ Theresa continued, unaware of the poor boy's reaction. "You hold great power within yourself, power meant to be mastered, but to do so will come at a great personal cost." A snake of dread slithered inside of him, a snake of losing everything he'd ever known and would come to know. The fox. Why did the sight of it stir such dread in him? What, did it have to do with him? _Demon-brat._ He thought they called him that just because he was born on the day of the Kyuubi's attack. What if they were wrong? What if-

Just as he was on the verge of an earthshattering, mind-breaking epitome, Theresa's voice saved him.

"These cards are others," she continued, "Those like yourself, some that may or may not rally to your cause."

_"The Mage."_ she began, revealing the next card; a pair of hands outstretched before a single flame. Naruto scoffed.

"Pah!" He snorted. "There's no such thing as magic!"

Theresa's only response was to smile.

"If you insist...

The remaining cards were now revealed in rapid succession, each eerily dissimilair to the first.

"The Thief."

"The Fool."

"The Devil."

"The Hermit."

"The Empress."

One by one she named them, each a shadowy figure he could not identify, each, gone as quickly as the last. The ninth card, however, he recognized. A white skull stared back at him, its jaws agape in an eerie macabre of laughter. Mocking him. Promising him pain, alongside the serpent twining in and out of its hollow sockets.

"Death."

Naruto faltered.

"D-Death?" He uttered the word, scarcely a whisper. "I don't much like the sound of that one...

"You will lose someone precious to you." Theresa warned in answerment. "

But the seer had already moved onward.

"The choice." Theresa outlined the final details of the tenth and final mirrored card, one of darkness, and of light. "When all is said and done you will be forced the make a terrible decision, one whose consequence will be felt around the world. The cards have not yet made it clear to me what this choice will be, but I suggest you do not make it lightly." Gathering them all together, she placed them in his waiting hands and made as if to rise, but Naruto's sputtered protest stopped her from prcoeeding any further.

"W-Wait!" He shouted! "Where are you going?"

"I need to secure myself lodging for the night." She cast a glance to the sky, where the sun was slowly beginning to set. "And I would suggest that you do the same, when all is said and done. But before I go," She put a hand into her purse, one last time. When she emerged she held no card, but rather, what looked like a large, circular object. She profferred it to him without another word. "A gift, for your graduation. It will allow me to speak with you, when necessary." She turned to go, ignoring the blond boy's protest of:

"But I haven't taken the test yet!"

Theresa fell silent.

"Then one known as Mizuki will approach you." She warned, her hooded face reappearing over a slim shoulder. "Do not listen to him but make ample use of this opportunity to learn all that you can about your bloodline and your heritage."

"Will...will I see you again?"

This time, the seer did pause. She even turned around and reached for him; ruffled the boy's hair in simple, almost motherly affection.

"Sooner than you think, Naruto-kun."

Before Naruto could ask her again, she was gone in a shimmer of light, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts...

_...and his destiny._

**A/N: I wrote this three hours after beating Fable 2 and I'm not looking back. In my eyes this scneario is entirely plausible. Naruto wanted to be a hero? Well, now he has a chance to be one. Will Naruto prove himself a true hero like the days of old? Or will he become a selfish villian? I myself find that being pure good often has its drawbacks; for those of you who haven't played, lets just say that a lot of sacrifices are entailed, merely for the sake of a clear conscience. Whether Naruto will have a dog; turn out good or evil or even a mix of the two remains to be seen. Regardless, I have every intention of continuing this as well as ALL my stories, as my recent slew of updates indicates. Who do these cards portray? Not all of them represent Naruto's destiny, but rather others who will join his cause! I leave it to you to guess.**

**Now, I'm off to work, so in immortal (and totally unrelated) words of Atlas...**

**...review, would you kindly? I'll even toss in a preview!**

_Preview:_

_An overly-gracious smile shined out from beneath rough blonde bangs. The ghost smiled at him, calm and benevolent._

_"W-Who're you?"_

_The stranger pointed, leveling a pallid finger in silent indication. Naruto followed the stranger's finger; remotely alarmed to find that the apparition was pointing toward to catacombs below. Belatedly, he realized what the ghoul wanted; it wished for him to descend into the dank depths. A cold wind whipped through the boy._

_"Oh, hell no!" He shook his head emphatically. "I'm not going down there!"_

_If the ghost was at all alarmed by his vehemence, it gave precious little indication. It merely turned its head, its souless gaze slipping past him to fall upon a nearby chest. There was a silence. Naruto, found himself drawn towards it, heart hammering inside his chest. Slowly-reluctantly!-he aquiesced with the spectre's request, taking the catch in fumbling fingers, flinging it open with some effort. Within he found what looked like a rusty old dagger and...the hell? Was that piece of timber next to it supposed to be a crossbow? Oh joy. A rusty old sword an a splintered crossbow, which he had no strength to use._

_"Aaaaand these are supposed to help me, how?"_

_The spectre pointed toward the stairs once more._

**R&R! =D**


	2. Hero

**A/N: Well folks, not much to say this time. I just wanted to get this chapter out there, god knows how long all of ya'll have been waiting for it. I've fully recovered since my last post of this story and the only downside to it all is that I'll soon be moving. Feel free to look me up in East Berlin, P.A.! Apparently I'm going to be living in the country...uck. Well, enough chit-chat!**

**Now, that being said, I proudly present you with...**

**...Will of a Hero! **

_"Now now, is that any way to greet an old friend?_

_~Reaver._

**Hero **

A few hours later, Theresa's warning proved prophetic.

Shortly after departing from the alley, he found himself approached by Mizuki. True to the ancient seer's words, the chunin had told him of a "special" way to pass the test. Naruto didn't buy it, not one bit, but he took advantage of the opportunity regardless.

And now, here he was.

Naruto gave the scroll a good hard yank, unfurling it for the world to see. He knew he had precious little time before someone caught him, and he was determined to make the most of it. He memorized a strange jutsu known as the kage bunshin in relatively short order, not even bothering to practice it more than once before moving on. Theresa's words still nagged at him. What did the scroll have to do with his heritage? What could possibly be so important it had to be sealed within a musty old scroll like-oh.

_Oooh._

Fingers trembling, he pulled the parchment aside, exposing text, faded and worn. He could scarcely make them out, let alone read them. And yet as he looked on they began to glow. Brightening at his touch, they gave off a soft sheen, an almost otherwordly radiance. Burgeouned to life by the boy's touch once more, **they **gave of an eerie prescence, blurring and shifting beneath his gaze. Magic? Naruto almost scoffed, then found the notion unsettling; because he was suddenly unable to take his gaze away from the faded text.

Sure enough, there was mention of the Heroes of which Theresa-baa-chan had spoken. They were great figures, those of Strength and Skill and Will. And there was a fourth, one greater than all the rest. It foretold that their coming would forever change the world; though for good or ill remained to be seen. But what, oh what, did that have to do with him? He thought back on the cards Theresa had shown him; the tarrot that revealed him his fate. It was difficult to believe anyone_-especially a blind woman-_would be able to divine your future merely by shuffling a pack of cards. How was she involved? Where did she fit in all of this?

He soon lost himself within the pages of the book; setting it down became an impossibility. According to these texts, the Yondaime Hokage was a hero. And not just in the literal sense. Everyone already knew; he was a hero for stopping the Kyuubi's rampage and sealing him away, but again, according to this book he was a _Hero._ One of the legendary beings he'd just read about. And the longer he read, the more the puzzle pieces that his mind had been holding began to fall into place.

The fourth hokage looked an _awful _lot like him. Right down to the blond hair and blue eyes, but minus those whiskers. He'd never really noticed it before-it wasn't as if the village had pictures of him hanging around-but now that he had, his mind refused to let it go. The gears were clicking now, his brain was actually working. If they shared such a strong resemblance with one another, then there was a chance that they could be, might be...

_"Now you know the truth of what you are_." Theresa's voice whispered in his mind. Naruto started in surprise, alarmed to find the voice came not from without but rather within his own mind. _Wahyah?!_ The colors of the world had since faded to grey, and when he looked up, he found himself as eye-level with the ancient seer herself, crouched down to meet his gaze.

"Theresa-baa-chan?!"

The woman's lips quirked in a slight smile.

"Just Theresa, if you please." She stood, and offered him her hand. "Now that you know the truth, I believe its time for you to discover your potential." Her eyes seemed to radiate an otherwordly light. "Take my hand if you would, Naruto. There is someone who wishes to meet you."

"Who?" Tentatively he accepted her hand, his fingers closing against hers.

Theresa offered an enigmatic smile.

"An old friend."

The world blurred around them, and when next Naruto looked, the forest was gone. So too was the scroll.

"I have returned it to its proper place." the seer replied at his questing stare. "And Mizuki has been...dealt with." the way she said it left no doubt in the blonde's mind, if the treacherous chunin wasn't dead, he probably soon would be. Alas, she didn't give him time to think about it. "But that is neither here nor there." she gestured, indicating their surroundings. "Tell me child, do you not recognize where we are?"

Naruto started in surprise, momentarily alarmed to find he _did_ recognize his surroundings. This was his apartment! But why were they here? He was a little ashamed that she had to see his room in such a sorry state; it looked as though a paper bomb had gone off, and that was being polite. Ramen cups were scattered around the floor, his bed wasn't made and the roof was leaking something awful, leaving water pooling in the corners much to his charign. Oh god, was that mold in the fridge? Just looking at it made him cringe.

_Why do I continue to live in this dump?_ the fourteen-year-old wondered to himself. _Oh, right. I can't afford to live anywhere else..._

"It is no coincidence that we are here." the seer informed him with a kind glance, seemingly reading his mind. "Do you remember the object I gave you?"

Naruto nodded.

"Take it out." Theresa instructed.

The comforting weight of the Guild Seal pulsated within his pocket, suddenly became heavier. A great deal heavier. Naruto extracted it with fumbling fingers, marvelling at its radiant glow, blinding in its radiance. To his infinite disbelief, it floated free of his hands, hanging before them, as though suspended by unseen strings. Before he could wonder at its purpose, the discus streaked forward, trailing a stream of golden light as it leapt towards the kitchen.

If Theresa was at all surprised by the sudden movement, she did little to show it. She merely walked after it. Wordlessly, Naruto followed, watching as it alighted upon the countertop. When he approached it, the discus fled from him, streaking back towards the kitchen. And then it stopped, slotting itself into southern wall. Strange.

The ground gave a great shudder, parting like the red sea. Earthquake! Naruto nearly dove under the bed, but Theresa's hand on his shoulder steadied him, prevented him from fleeing. He looked in awe as the floor did the unthinkable, slotting downward to reveal the source of the rumbling.

Revealing a staircase.

The would-be genin felt something tug at him, urging him to descend. Try as he might, Naruto couldn't bring himself to resist. He risked a backwards glance at Theresa, hoping_-praying!-_she wouldn't make him go down there alone. He didn't like the dark!

"Aren't you coming?"

The seer shook her head.

"You must enter alone."

"But-

"Do not be afraid." she soothed. "This is part of your destiny."

Gulping, the blond took his first, tentative steps into darkness...

* * *

Naruto strode down the stairs warily, cautiously, his every step echoing in the dark. The musty smell of fetid air and moist earth rushed up to greet him a wave, clogging his nose and causing him to gag._ Uck!_ Wherever this passage led, it obviously hadn't been used in a long time. Torches on the walls seemingly lit themselves of their own accord as descended into the depths, lightning the way. _Okay,_ he mused, not creepy. _Not creepy at all!_

Gradually-slowly at first-he felt the ground leveled out beneath his feet, leaving him in a torch-light corridor. He followed it for what felt like miles, but it could've been a few minutes. He had no way of knowing, here, in the dark. It was disconcerting. He could feel his heart in his throat, hammering away.

Finally, _finally _the corridor opened up to a large chamber. Still more torches lined the walls, ignitng now as he stepped into the room. Perhaps room wasn't the right word. It was more of a large antechamber, sprawling out before his eyes, leading up to a pedestal in the center of the chamber. Bones lay scattered around the center dais, unfortunate travelers who must've met their end at the hands of whatever traps awaited him in the main room. Steeling himself, clenching his jaw, the son of Minato Namikaze stepped forward.

A pit opened beneath his feet; a second too late. He was already in motion, moving, flinging himself aside as the ground gave away beneath his feet.. But his trial was not yet done. Spears burst from the adjacent walls in a deadly rain, threatening to skewer him where he stood. Naruto dropped flat, the deadly lances shaving a few strands of hair from his head. He lay there for a moment palms spread flat upon the floor, his body coiled in a crouch for whatever came next.

The rumble was his only warning.

Fire erupted from the ceiling, scorching his jacket, setting it aflame. Hissing in pain, the jinchuuriki tore his orange coat off and flung it aside, exposing the-thankfully uncharred-black tee beneath. A spear skwered it as he looked on, ramming into the wall with enough force to splinter the stone. Naruto paled. And then the chamber came alive, every trap he'd encountered thus far going off as one. Tucking, rolling, shouting, he dodged towards the dais, cursing himself and the sick bastard who dreamed up so many traps down here.

A spirited leap cleared the last pitfall and landed him upon the dais. He teetered for a moment, struggling to find his balance, then steadied himself. Around him, the chamber fell silent, the traps cycling shut even as he looked on. Naruto took that moment to catch his breath, desperate to calm his hammering heart. He never had the chance.

_You've finally come._

Naruto froze, hackles on the back of his neck rising. That...hadn't been his voice! Trembling, he turned, risking a backward glance over his shoulder. He found himself peering up, up, _up _into sapphire eyes so very much like his own. Then through them. Because the figure standing behind him wasn't solid. Not in the slightest! Its form pale and incorporeal, Uzumaki Naruto found himself gazing upon the one thing _the one thing_ which he feared more than death itself.

"G-G-G-GHOST!"

His scream reverberated off the walls, bounding off the cloor and ceiling. The spirit weathered his scream with impassivity, unfazed by his terror. An overly-gracious smile shined out from beneath rough blonde bangs. It smiled at him, the spectre did, calm and benevolent.

"W-Who're you?"

The stranger pointed, leveling a pallid finger in silent indication. Naruto followed the stranger's finger; remotely alarmed to find that the apparition was pointing toward the catacombs below. Belatedly, he realized what the ghoul wanted; it wished for him to descend into the dank depths, to step ever deeper into this strange place. A cold wind whipped through the boy, urging him onward. Naruto resisted it with all his might, stubborn and clinging to his common sense for all he was worth.

"Oooh, _hell_ no!" He shook his head emphatically. "I'm not going down there! Have you noticed all these traps?!"

If the ghost was at all alarmed by his vehemence, it gave little indication. It merely turned its head, its souless gaze slipping past him to fall upon a nearby chest a few feet tot he left. There was a silence. Naruto held a breath, warily stepping onto the floor, ready to lepa back if another trap activated. To his relief, they seemed to have shut down. Still...the chest called to him. He found himself drawn to it, towards it, stomach knotting fitfully with anxiety and tension. What if he set off another trap? What if this was all part of a complex plan to get him killed? What if-

_Have no fear._ The ghost's voice, so oddly familiar quieted his terrors, eased his thoughts._ You are in no danger at present._

Slowly-reluctantly!-he aquiesced with the spectre's request, taking the catch in fumbling fingers, flinging it open with some effort. Within he found what appeared to be a rusty old sword and...the hell? Was that piece of timber next to it supposed to be a crossbow? _Oh joy._ A rusted blade and a splintered crossbow, which he had no strength to use.

"Aaaaand these are supposed to help me, how?" he felt a touch of strength enter him as he held the rusted sword; it was like greeting an old friend. Strange. He swung it in an wide arc over his head once, twice, thrice, for times, cutting the air with _skill_ he didn't know he had until this very moment.

"Wow." he blinked his surprise. "Didn't know I could do that."

The spectre pointed toward the stairs once more, its gaze stoic. Naruto blanched. Now, armed as he was, he had no excuse for not entering, save his own fear. Cringing, he took a moment to strap the crossbow to his back, then started toward the stairs.

"Alright, alright," he groused, "I'm going. I'll...**FUCK ALL KINDS OF DUCK?!"**

His words ended in a terrified yelp as something staggered up from the dark. Something neither living nor dead. In another life it might've been a skeleton, but for the pinprick of light-a soul, perhaps?-holding its bony body aloft. Dead eyes gazed out at him as it clamored up the stairs, its twisting, lurching gait dragging its body relentlessly forward. A rattling cough dragged itself out of its throat, warping into a grating moan as both arms-each armed with a crude axe-swung down for his head.

The hollow man swiped at him and Naruto reacted; his arm seemingly moved of its own accord.

He flicked his wrist, and a harrowing crack of bone signalled the end of a life. The revenant toppled backwards, headless, its skeletal frame turning to dust before it struck the ground. Naruto stepepd over its ashes, not daring to look back. He could hear more of those...things stirring around him, and he'd no desire to test his newfound reflexes. He bounded forward and down the stairs ignoring the scream of strain as he put weight on his battered ankle. Another of the ghouls reared up to face him and the blond slashed wildly, shattering its skeletal legs as he stormed past.

There! At the end of the tunnel! Light!

Naruto didn't bother to think as he leapt into the light. Didn't consider what might await him. He lunged toward the lone ray of light that penetrated the chamber, stepping into its warmth, basking in its glow.

It was like flicking a switch.

Power surged through his veins. Raw, undiluted energy. It was like being struck by lightning such as it were; sparks spat from his fingertips. Skittering across the expanse between them; great arcs, of all-empowering light and lightning, banishing the darkness to the furthest corners of the room. He flung his hands for the ceiling and the sparks _surged,_ sizzling across the roof in a crackling storm of wind and electricity. But he hadn't long to enjoy his newfound powers, not at all; because those things came pounding after him through the arch he'd just exited. They surged forward with their lurching gait...

...and Naruto greeted them with the storm.

Lightning froze them where they stood, the storm that was vortex ripped into their frail forms and scattered them about the room. The blond stood strong, power crackling from his fingertips, sending the souls that did bind the hollow men back from whence they came. Power! Such wonderful, all consuming power! It was over in an instant, leaving him standing there, chest heaving with the exertions he'd just thrust upon himself. He was drained. Nearly sapped of all his strength. But some still remained.

Naruto raised a hand, indicating the supposed Cullis Gate with a single finger. He focused his_ Will,_ felt it surge through his body and focus onto a single finger. A stray thought sent it hurtling forward, striking the scarlet sphere dead on. That was when he felt, rather than saw Theresa's hand laid upon his shoulder.

"Well done, Naruto." her words were smooth as ointment, her touch light as velvet. "You have passed your test. You are now as your father was; a Hero."

Naruto turned his head, regarded her with a exhausted gaze.

"Wait, so I can use this as many times as I want?"

"Yes, but take care lest you exhaust yourself." Theresa cautioned. "If your will runs out, you may well die."

Naruto grinned wolfishly; a small setback compared to the powers he was only just learning to harness. Then something occurred to him. Theresa had called him a Hero. Just like his father. There was only one problem there. Naruto didn't know his father.

_"My father?" _Theresa nodded.

"Yes, but that is another matter." she touched hand to his head. "Sleep now."

His strength failed him then, his knees buckling, eyes rolling back into his then...

_...there was only blackness._

**A/N: And there you have it! Naruto is a hero! But will he use his powers for good, or for evil? Being good often gets the girls, but a little bit of evil -willing to get one's hands dirty- might also keep them safe from harm, no? Feel free to tell me what you think! We'll be seeing a major divergence from canon soon, as Naruto begins to come into his newfound abilities. Expect everything to/from Kakashi's survival exercise to the mission in Wave to be quite different! And with that, alas I must be off to work. Cheers if you recognized the TFS Hellsing reference when Naruto was in the crypt lol!**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would You Kindly?**

**R&R! =D**


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